Court in Fiji approves U.S. warrant to grab Russian-owned mega-yacht

Fiji's High Court on Tuesday ruled that a massive Russian-owned yacht can be seized by U.S. authorities.

American and Fijian officers claim the Cayman Islands-flagged Amadea is the property of Suleiman Kerimov, an oligarch who constructed his fortune on gold mining. Kerimov was sanctioned in March by the USA, United Kingdom and European Union in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

But an lawyer who represents Millemarin Investments, the company the $325 million ship is registered to, stated it's not owned by Kerimov. As an alternative, he argued in court docket that corporate paperwork traces the ship's possession to Eduard Khudainatov, a former executive at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov couldn't be reached for remark. The corporate intends to enchantment Tuesday's resolution.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, in line with local reports and the maritime analytics web site Marine Traffic. Quickly after, a federal choose permitted a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's top prosecutor moved to forestall the ship from leaving.

The Division of Justice couldn't instantly be reached for remark. 

On April 4, the company introduced that Spanish authorities had assisted it in seizing another Russian yacht, the $90 million Tango, which was owned by Viktor Vekselberg, the proprietor of the Russian conglomerate Renova Group.

Legislation handed by the House of Representatives on April 27 would enable the U.S. to sell the yacht and other properties worth more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs with a view to fund the Ukrainian war effort. President Joe Biden supports the invoice, which has yet to pass the Senate.

"We will seize their yachts, their luxury properties and other ill-begotten beneficial properties," Biden mentioned on April 28 on the White House.

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and knowledge security for CBS Information Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com